Wilks

At this tiny six-cover restaurant, chef James Wilkins offers an almost private dining experience, showcasing his mastery of classical French cooking and passion for fine produce, particularly seafood. If you’re one of the many fans of his previous 'Wilks' in Bristol, you will know what to expect, but now it’s a one man show: Wilkins is a genial host who acts as your waiter and sommelier as well as chef, which makes for a unique experience. 'It's like a personal dinner party,' observed one fan. Wilkins' presence and the stunning quality of the food and wine more than make up for the slightly shabby surroundings of this former art shop in the suburbs of Bath. With only one sitting per service, there’s plenty of time to savour the highly seasonal, ‘exquisite’ and ‘beautifully presented’ tasting menus. Billed as ‘four’ courses for lunch and ‘six’ for dinner, they are complemented by multiple amuse-bouches, canapés, phenomenal home-baked bread and petits fours. Fish features prominently, perhaps a velvety bisque of Scottish langoustines with seaweed brioche and fennel butter to start, or wild John Dory with a black truffle crust, girolles, peas and wild asparagus in a 'sea truffle' butter emulsion. Elsewhere, meat lovers might consider a canapé of caramelised veal sweetbreads with morels, or breast and leg of pigeon with Roscoff onions, pigeon liver parfait, fresh almonds, chocolate nibs and intensely flavourful sweet-and-sour macerated cherries. To finish, an early-summer dessert could involve raspberries with wholegrain shortbread and crème fraîche ice cream under a wafer-thin wild pepper tuile. Being able to interrogate Wilkins about the creative process behind each dish as it arrives only adds to the enjoyment. The predominantly French wine list and remarkably good-value wine flights come from small-batch, minimal intervention producers and are of dazzling quality. How long such an intimate operation will remain viable is anyone’s guess – so we strongly suggest you visit soon.